In general, the direct or indirect damage caused by pathogenic microbes gives rise to large and severe economical, environmental and medical problems. For example, the decomposition of food during circulation is one of the greatest problems in the food industry while the excess use of chemical microbicides which produce environmental pollution, with microbicide residue on crops negatively affecting the health of consumers becomes problematic in the agricultural industry. In addition, the emergence of resistant strains resulting from the misuse and overuse of antibiotics has caused serious medical and social problems. Although proper antibiotic therapy in the treatment of infectious diseases is one of the most important factors that determine the prognosis of patients, it has been more difficult to utilize effective antibiotics due to the emergence of strains resistant against antibiotics.
For instance, Vancomycin has traditionally been reserved as a drug of “last resort” for treatment of infection by Staphylococcus strains, which are the most common causes of infection of humans. However, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) which can be treated only by Vancomycin broke out in the 1970s. Since then, Vancomycin-resistant Entrococcus (VRE) was first found in Europe in 1998, followed by the discovery of Vancomycin intermediate-resistant S. aureus, (VISA) in Japan, the United States, France, and Korea in the late 1990s. In 2002, furthermore, the US Centers for Disease Control first reported the presence of Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), which is highly resistant to Vancomycin, creating an alarming likelihood of the spread of so-called “superbacteria.” Therefore, antibiotic resistance is becoming a worldwide crisis and there is a pressing need for a novel approach to antibiotics.